


Bled For This

by elsewherewolf



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Kink Meme, M/M, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-30
Updated: 2012-05-30
Packaged: 2017-11-06 08:20:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/416730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elsewherewolf/pseuds/elsewherewolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was obvious that he was going to see it at some point, and he's sure Tony wanted him to.  Written as a fill for the kink meme community, prompt was Steve sees a tattoo of something Captain America related on Tony's body and thinks about getting something Iron Man related for himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bled For This

**Author's Note:**

> **note:** I have never used the 'bases' terms, but apparently third base is 'hand jobs'. Home run is the full monty? Who knew? :P
> 
> It's been pointed out (though weirdly the comment got deleted?) that not all tattoos bleed. I'm just going from personal experience, obviously I'm a little bleeder. :) (And I don't mean gushing tons of blood lol, just little dots of it.) My apologies if it's too wrong to be right. :)

"You know we have access to every news network here, right? Local, national, international?"

"I like the paper," Steve says, without looking up.

"I like seeing your face every now and then."

Steve turns the page and shakes the paper to straighten it out. "You can go find a picture of me on your computer."

"Ha ha. JARVIS, what was last night's baseball score?"

"I assume you are referring to the New York versus Philadelphia game, sir. The score was-"

"Okay! Okay, fine. I'm putting the paper down now."

"Do you require the score, sir?"

Steve eyes Tony reproachfully before addressing JARVIS himself. "No he does not." He knows exactly what Tony requires, judging by the look in his eyes, wide and dark. "Come here." It's still hard to believe, that he can say something like that to Tony Stark and two seconds later have his lap nicely occupied by faded jeans, a t-shirt bearing the name of some band he's never heard of and a half smug, half awed grin.

"While we're on the subject, how about we make it to second base today?" Tony asks, casually, fingering the collar of Steve's shirt.

"I thought all that- What we did yesterday, wasn't that...?"

Tony cocks his head to the side, considering. "Third, I guess, but like third in some parallel dimension where they do that fully clothed. Which is why," he says, popping open Steve's top two buttons, "I prefer this dimension."

Steve opens his mouth slightly for the inevitable kiss, groaning into it because Tony's weight in his lap reminds him of yesterday and how it was equal parts fantastic and uncomfortable to come like that. He digs his fingers underneath Tony's t-shirt, scraping it up to bare his hips, stomach, and tears his mouth away suddenly.

"That's. Is that new?"

"Uh. No?"

Steve only means to push Tony a little way away so that he can see it properly, ends up sending Tony sprawling across the other end of the couch. He grimaces, following quickly like he meant to do that and hadn't just forgotten his own strength, and Tony's staring at him, breaths coming quick and hot, quicker still when Steve gets his knee pressed between Tony's thighs and bends, touching the tattoo lightly. 

He traces the round shape of it, hearing Tony suck in a breath, and that makes him wonder. "How long have you had it?"

"About a month. Don't you-"

"Shut up. I like it. Did it hurt?"

"Why, Cap? Does it turn you on that I bled for this?" 

Tony's voice is low, and all Steve hears are the words _bled for this_ , which is pretty much the filthiest thing Tony's said to him yet. Well, maybe not, but context is everything. And yes, yes it does turn him on, and what the hell is that about?

"Could I..."

"Yeah." 

Steve watches Tony swallow, leans further still to kiss Tony's jaw, scrape his teeth through the short bristles of his beard. Then down to Tony's ribs, to where the skin seems to feel slightly different with the pattern of his shield. Captain America's shield. He parts his lips over it and breathes the skin in, aware that for whatever reason it's making Tony's breathing shallow out even more, making clever hands scratch and scrape at his shirt, his undershirt, his belt.

"Tony. _Tony._ " He murmurs, shifting his weight which apparently only makes matters worse. 

"I really need you to be naked, say, five minutes ago? But now will do, if you'd just - yeah, that's it. Just do it. Don't look at me like you don't know what 'it' is."

Steve laughs, shaking his head, presses a last chaste kiss to the tattoo and tries not to feel self-conscious about baring his own body, which has no ink on it whatsoever. (Although that's something he's definitely thinking about changing if Tony's reacting like this to having _his_ tattoo kissed.)

"Oh my... chelangelo. You are just. I mean, I knew already but- Wow, and Howard helped with this? I guess he did something right after all."

Steve feels a warm flush across his chest, up to his collarbone, and fixes his gaze on the tattoo again. _Bled for this_ , he thinks, and then thinks the greater wonder is that Tony sat still long enough for it to be done. He traces the star at its centre and Tony squirms beneath him, reminds him that there are other things he'd like to have touched. You know, _now._ Would be good.

+

Sweat's dried on his skin, he feels too warm, sticky and in need of a shower. Third base without clothes on was a lot of fun, he has to admit.

His hand's resting over Tony's stomach, and he knows without looking that the tattoo is beneath his palm. When Tony mutters something and turns over enough to look at him, he smiles and says, "I was thinking."

"I wondered what woke me."

"I think I'd like one too."

"I'm sorry? You've lost me. One what?"

Steve kisses Tony's dry mouth, wondering when and how it was that something like this got to be so easy. How it is that he can love a man like Tony, when all he wanted to do that first time was walk away.

"Tattoo." He lowers his voice, almost saying the words into Tony's shoulder, maybe in hope they'll get lost in case Tony reacts badly. "I could bleed for you."

"I think you already did that once," Tony says quietly, his fingertips skittering along Steve's arm and across his shoulder. They come to rest at a point on his nape. "You have to be sure, it's one of those things kind of like that tenth shot of tequila - it seems a great idea at the time but once you do it there's no going back."

Steve half smiles, trying desperately to remain serious. "I'm sure. Will you come with me?"

"Right now?" Tony asks, looking pointedly down between the two of them.

"No! Not _right_ now."

"Good. But yes. Of course."

+

"What's wrong?" Steve asks, noticing the way Tony's mouth has turned down just a fraction.

"Nothing. Nothing, I just, I kind of regret not asking you to- You know? With me. It doesn't feel like a fair trade."

Steve shrugs one big shoulder and pushes the door open. "It does to me."

"So when are you going to tell me?" 

Steve raises an eyebrow, plays dumb.

"What you're having. I assume it's not going to be 'property of Tony Stark' on your ass or-"

"No, not at all. I'm pretty sure it's the other way around anyhow," he adds with a grin that he's pleased to see has a noticeable effect. It would probably have more of an effect if he weren't blushing as well.

"So what then?"

Steve doesn't answer, shaking hands with the guy that comes out to greet them. A friend of Tony's, like half of New York.

In the studio, he pulls off his shirt and lays face down on the chair, turning his head to get comfortable.

"Aha, I was right. Wasn't I?" Tony laughs.

Steve just does the vocal equivalent of rolling his eyes and lets the artist go to work. Tony's right there, sitting to the other side of him, and Steve watches him through lowered lashes. He watches realisation dawn when Tony catches sight of the transfer on his skin, and feels even shyer at how his expression changes.

He's not one hundred percent sure what to expect, and when the buzzing of the needle starts, it startles him. But Tony takes hold of his hand and leans forward and when the strange, sharp, not exactly painful but something like it vibrations start, and Steve's jaw tightens fractionally, Tony threads his fingers in between Steve's and squeezes.

He can _feel_ the blood prickling beneath his skin and surfacing above it, feel it staining his skin along with the ink and he sees Tony's tongue run across his lower lip, sees the flicker in his eyes. Light and dark all at once, and he wonders what it looks like from the other side.

It should be mortifying that after the first ten minutes, Steve's hard. He's glad he didn't decide to have his tattoo in the same spot as Tony's, glad that for the moment he can keep his state hidden and try to think about something other than the rapid penetrations of the needle, the smell of Tony's aftershave, the bed that they left unmade this morning, like a placeholder for later.

It should be mortifying, but it isn't. It's kind of gratifying that it's everything he thought it would be when he heard the words _bled for this._

Some time before the buzzing stops, though Steve thinks he can still hear it, like it's imprinted on his brain or something. 

"All done." The tattooist steps back to evaluate his work, and Steve sees Tony nod, listens as he's given a rundown of the aftercare instructions.

Out in the street, and Steve's still concentrating on not getting hard all over again just thinking about it all when Tony turns suddenly and hooks a finger into his belt, pulling him close.

"Thank you. See, I have manners. And that was definitely something that I feel a need to thank you for, so consider yourself-" Tony pauses to kiss his lips, "-thanked."

"My pleasure. And Tony, yes. It does turn me on. So we need to get off the street."

"Right now?" Tony's grinning, smug again.

"Right now."


End file.
